Get ready for a lot more Life in you life, as Evolution USA plans a major rollout of visual assets from one of the world’s premier photography art brands.
Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP) has named Evolution USA as their North America, Australia and New Zealand licensing and brand management agency for the LIFE brand and The LIFE Picture Collection, effective immediately.
Evolution plans to accelerate the monetization of Life’s digital media assets by seeking new licensing and brand expansion opportunities for LIFE and its massive photo archive in a variety of product classifications and consumer experiences. These will include apparel, accessories, home furnishings, housewares, gifts and collectibles, food and beverage, stationery and paper goods, brand and artist collaborations, hospitality, location-based entertainment experiences, gaming, and promotions.
“We’re excited to partner with Evolution to bring our iconic brand to new audiences. There’s enormous potential in these images and we can’t wait to share them with the public in creative and innovative ways,” said Jill Golden, Director of The LIFE Picture Collection.
The LIFE Picture Collection is arguably the world’s most comprehensive visual chronicle of the 20th Century, and the most prestigious private photographic archive in the U.S.
From 1936 to 2000, LIFE commissioned more than 10 million photographs spread across 120,000 stories in the iconic LIFE magazine. At its height, LIFE magazine’s images and essays reached one of three American readers, and was heavily read outside the US as well. The original pictures and articles remain in Meredith’s LIFE Picture Collection, an unprecedented cultural asset with millions of untold stories and unseen images. The LIFE Picture Collection offers research, gallery, licensing and merchandising opportunities.
“The LIFE Picture Collection contains so many stunning visuals, relevant themes and genres,” said Travis J. Rutherford, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Evolution. “We realized that nothing captures the zeitgeist of the 20th century like LIFE, and as such we see huge potential for consumer products at multiple levels of the market.
Themed collections from LIFE include topics spanning Americana, History, Hollywood, Innovations in Photography, Sports, Science and Tech, Fashion and Music.
Tom Rowland, Vice President of Partnerships, Licensing & Syndication and Business Affairs, Meredith Corporation, says he’s excited to have a powerful licensing partner in place to bring LIFE’s historic artwork to the world.
“We are thrilled to be working with the talented and accomplished team at Evolution,” Rowland said. “Their operational expertise, proven relationships, entrepreneurial spirit and passion make them the perfect partner to facilitate unique and highly commercial expansion opportunities for these properties. With their guidance, we look forward to crafting and effectively managing a robust consumer products program for the beloved LIFE brand.”
Meredith has been involved in journalism for 118 years with assets in broadcast television, print, digital, mobile and video. Meredith’s National Media Group reaches over 190 million unduplicated American consumers every month, including nearly 95 percent of U.S. women. Meredith is the owner of the largest premium content digital network for American consumers and is the No. 1 magazine operator in the U.S. Meredith’s Local Media Group includes 17 television stations, reaching 11 percent of U.S. households.
Evolution is a boutique brand monetization agency headquartered in Calabasas, California, servicing the popular culture, media, gaming, toy, personality, character, publishing and lifestyle industry verticals. Their clients include The agency’s clients include: Gaumont Television USA, Skydance Media, MGM Studios, Stampede Ventures, Pressman Films, Camden Media, ITV Studios, Just Play, Jazwares/Kellytoy Holdings, TinyBuild Games, System Era, Tilting Point, OLO Industries, and The Ella Fitzgerald Estate, among others.
Anyone interested in licensing assets from the Life library can contact Evolution Licensing and Retail Contact Travis Rutherford at licensing@evomgt.com